


Magical Madness (Being Re-Written)

by ghyst alae (Ghyst_Lykes_It_Loud)



Series: Are You Kidding Me [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Avengers Meet Justice League, Avengers meet Robin, Circus brats, Clint Is a Good Bro, Dimension Travel, Gen, Kidnapped Robin, Loki Has Issues, Loki Is A Jerk, Magic, Protective Avengers, Robin hates magic, Robin is a Troll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-05 13:44:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1820476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghyst_Lykes_It_Loud/pseuds/ghyst%20alae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klarion likes chaos. What could cause more chaos than Robin going missing?</p>
<p>Loki likes irking his brother. What could do so more than trying to take over Mitgard again?</p>
<p>When the two meet; things get messy, Robin gets dragged into another universe, the Avengers get involved, and the Justice League (read: Batman) gets pissed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Magical Orange Hamster Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin wakes up in an odd situation.

Robin was _so_ not feeling the aster.

 

Not. Feeling. It. At. All.

           

Klarion had somehow transported himself _into_ Mt. Justice, knocked them all out, and kidnapped him.

 

Being tossed around in the giant, orange, magical equivalent of a hamster ball was not pleasant. It was barely large enough for him to stand in and, as far as he could tell, impenetrable.

 

Now… Now the hero had no clue as to where he was, and no means of escape.

 

As was said before, not feeling the aster.

 

Robin once again examined the walls of the warehouse, scouring his surroundings for hints as to his location.

 

 

Well, not _nothing_.

 

The warehouse was, even through the orange haze created by his mode of confinement, very _clean_.

 

This removed Gotham from the list of possible locations. Bludhaven too.

 

“Ooh, the little birdie’s awake!” The Chaos Lord’s rather annoying voice called out, and Robin turned to face him.

 

He was with another man. This man had slicked-back black hair; expensive looking clothes; and intense, green eyes.

 

Robin instinctively did not like this man.

 

There was something… off, about him. The man’s presence _oozed_ ‘dangerous’, ‘mischievous’, and ‘powerful’.

 

Not a pleasant combination, in his experience.

 

“Klarion, where am I?” Robin demanded - _really_ not wanting to deal with the psycho right now. He had enough of those, thank you.

 

“Straight to the point, then?” The man said in a British accent that was laced with an ‘I’m superior’ tone. “I quite like that in a pawn.”

 

“I’m no one’s toy.” Robin stated firmly, crossing his arms impatiently.

 

“More of a _pet_ , really.” Klarion sneered, Teekl meowing on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, _bat brat_.I’m sure he’ll take great care of you.”

 

“Uh-huh. Right.” Robin nodded condescendingly, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t see how this is going in your favor, witch boy.”

 

“My new friend here will explain. He’s very… good at what he does.” Klarion snickered.

 

Robin turned to the other man with an eyebrow raised.

 

The man just smirked.

 

“And what is it that you do?”

 

“ _Fun_.” The lanky man smiled wickedly.

 

“I have reason to believe that our definitions of that word are _very_ different.” The bird deadpanned.

 

“Well,” Klarion interjected, “-you’d probably label it as ‘chaos’” The demented immortal flashed his fangs in a frightening imitation of a grin.

 

“So, you’re another chaos demon, or whatever?” Robin deadpanned at the stranger. Unexpectedly, cold fury flashed across his face.

 

The impending man approached Robin’s containment bubble, sending a spark of fear through his veins. Not _flinching_ took more willpower than Robin was willing to admit.

 

“I am no mere ‘ _Chaos Lord_ ’, child. I am a _god_!” He growled. Ever the cocky little troll, Robin smirked.

 

“Really? You’re a little on the small side, aren’t you?”

 

“Speak for yourself!” Klarion snapped, knowing that it was a pet peeve of Robin’s.

 

“Silence!” The ‘god’ snarled at the demonic entity. He then turned to Robin. “You of _all_ the pathetic ‘heroes’ from your realm should know that size does not equate to power.” Robin huffed apathetically.

 

“I wouldn’t say that. Superman and Captain Marvel _huge_ , and look at all their power.”

 

“And yet, from what I’ve heard, you would be able to take both of them on your own.”

 

“Not the point~” Robin evaded in a sing-song voice.

 

“Klarion,” he addressed the childish demon behind him. “he’s a bit...  Less, than what you promised. Perhaps he won’t be suitable after all…” The god- man -sighed.

 

“Excuse me, _oh great god_ , but I don’t see _you_ doing anything spectacular.” Robin jabbed, voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

This served only to anger the one standing before him. He turned back towards the bird, green eyes now dark with fury.

 

The being stepped forward, arm reaching up, and passed through the bubble. His hand wrapped around Robin’s neck with inhuman strength, and he lifted the boy off his feet.

 

“So you want a display, human? I can do that.”

 

“You have strength and magic. So what? My friends have more powerful abilities, and they’re not _gods_.” The Boy Wonder croaked through the digits crushing his windpipe, smirk still present on his features.

 

“You -“ The man started before being cut off by the acrobat twisting out of grasp. He withheld a yelp as the boy, now free, painfully snapped his wrist.

 

The man, holding his broken limb to his chest, pulled back out of the ‘hamster ball’.

 

The… _smile_ … on his face sent shivers down Robin’s spine.

 

“Well, Klarion, he fits the bill perfectly. I’ll be taking him now.” He snapped his fingers and, slowly, the orange of the magic cage was replaced by green.

 

“It was nice doing havoc with you, Loki.”

 

Loki?

 

Like, the _Norse_ Loki?

 

Robin’s never heard of a villain sporting that name before, and he’s heard of everyone.

 

Well, _Batman’s_ heard of everyone, and Robin’s read the files.

 

Eh, semantics.

 

Klarion vanished into one of his slantedcreepy portals with a wave and sadistic smile to Robin.

 

Robin was jolted from his feet by Loki snapping his fingers again and the ‘magical hamster ball of doom’ swiftly moving after him as he began walking out of the warehouse.

 

He watched their surroundings for a while, then noticed something… odd.

 

There was someone tailing them. Up on the rooftops.

 

The Boy Wonder made a split-second decision, and turned back towards Loki.

 

“So, where’re we going?” Robin asked in the most annoying voice he could muster. Annoying villains was _so_ fun.

 

And it made for a great distraction.

 

“You’ll see.”

 

Did Robin ever say how much he hates that answer?

 

A few minuets later: “Are we there yet?”

 

“No.”

 

“… Are we there yet?”

 

“No.”

 

“… Are we there _now_?”

 

“ _No_.”

 

“... Ar-“

 

“For the last _damned_ time: no!”

 

Robin couldn’t hold back his smirk.

 

He didn’t even try.


	2. Concentration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Clint follows Loki and his unknown hostage/prisoner/thing/person.  
> And things get violent. And fiery. Very fiery.

**Chapter 2 – Concentration**

 

Early in the morning, Agents Barton and Romanoff arrived at the tower with a mission.

 

“What _kind_ of mission?” Tony demanded childishly after they informed the rest of the Avengers.

 

"There was an energy spike in southern Illinois. It was similar enough to the Tesseract to warrant _us_ being the ones to check it out.” Clint responded, gathering one of many quivers and bows from his stash in an air vent. He hung upside down, knees hooked on the opening of said vent, as he checked his arsenal.

 

“So, a chance of alien invasion 2.0?” Bruce.

 

“Precisely.”

 

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get suited up!” Steve said, patting the armrest decisively as he stood.

 

And so they did.

 

Clint wondered, as they rode in the quinjet, what they would encounter. Thor insisted that the Tesseract was safe, and that Loki was serving out his sentence in Asgardian prison.

 

They landed the aircraft about a quarter mile away from where the energy had spiked.

 

Steve sent Clint and Natasha ahead to do some recon, and the rest stayed on the comms.

 

While on his way to the warehouse, his mind drifted back to the possibilities. None of them seemed good.

 

Upon arrival, he was shocked. None of his mental scenarios involved _this_.

 

“Guys!” Clint hissed over the comm.

 

“ _Yes, Hawkeye?_ ” Captain America inquired.

 

“Didn’t Thor say that Loki was in prison?”

 

There was a long pause before:

 

“ _Why are you asking?_ ”

 

“Why do you _think_ , Cap!” Clint snapped, observing the scene below.

 

“ _Shit…_ ” Tony hissed.

 

Hawkeye, true to his reputation, observed from the rafters.

 

Loki was speaking to what looked like a eleven-to-twelve-year-old boy with black hair that spiked up into two ‘devil horns’. The kid had a tiger-striped cat laying in his arms while he stroked it in cliché villain fashion.

 

There was something off about the kid, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his fingers itch for an arrow.

 

Hawkeye pulled out a digital recorder and aimed it at the two, hoping the SHIELD-enhanced microphones would capture what his ears could not.

 

He followed as they walked out of the one warehouse and into another.

 

“Widow” He whispered into the comm. as he leapt through the rafters after them. “Loki has a conspirator and they are on the move, you got a visual?”

 

“ _Acknowledged… Visual confirmed. They are headed into the neighboring building._ ” His partner replied after a pause, assumingly to view her targets.

 

“Alright, on my way.”

 

Hawkeye slid down the ladder silently, then dashed after his targets.

 

He climbed the fire escape and entered through a grimy window, taking to the catwalks for a better view.

 

Pulling out the recorder again, he aimed it at the figures below.

 

There was a new third, smaller person, sitting inside a transparent, orange-tinted bubble in the middle of the room. He seemed displeased and when the Loki and his acquaintance walked in, he snapped something at them.

 

Clint couldn’t hear the details, but the demanding tone drifted all the way to his spot near the wall.

 

This provoked the archer to get closer, and he was consequently able to get a better look at the smaller third party.

 

Onyx hair; pale skin; a red and black form-fitting costume (including a cape that covered his shoulders and stopped behind the boy’s knees); and a bright yellow belt that had several compartments attached to it.

 

While he was taking in the new character’s appearance, the conversation had continued.

 

“Don’t worry, _bat brat_.I’m sure he’ll take great care of you.” Loki’s friend sneered.

 

“Uh-huh. Right.” The kid’s voice was absolutely _saturated_ with sarcasm. “I don’t see how this is going in your favor, witch boy.”

 

“My new friend here will explain. He’s very… good at what he does.” The apparent ‘witch’ giggled disturbingly.

 

The kid turned to Loki with an eyebrow raised.

 

The god smiled. All teeth.

 

“And what is it that you do?” The smallest questioned mockingly.

 

“ _Fun_.” Loki answered ominously.

 

“I have reason to believe that our definitions of that word are _very_ different.” The confined male said flatly, with a vague undertone of amusement.

 

“Well, you’d probably label it as ‘chaos’” The pointy-haired unknown cut in with a sinister smile.

 

“So, you’re another chaos demon, or whatever?” The orange-tinted boy deadpanned. As Hawkeye expected, this provoking made Loki angry.

 

Loki stomped up to the floating sphere, and the archer could see in the cocky boy’s body language that he was struggling to keep his calm image.

 

“I am no mere ‘ _Chaos Lord_ ’, child.” Loki snarled. “I am a _god_!” In response, the little shit smirked.

 

“Really? You’re a little on the small side, aren’t you?” He teased.

 

“Speak for yourself!” Loki’s friend snapped, and Clint got the sense that this was supposed to antagonize the other boy.

 

“Silence!” Loki snapped at his accomplice, then turned the confined boy. “You of _all_ the pathetic ‘heroes’ from your realm should know that size does not equate to power.” The kid huffed apathetically.

 

“I wouldn’t say that. Superman and Captain Marvel are _huge_ , and look at all their power.” Hawkeye became confused; he’d never heard of this ‘Superman’, but he _had_ heard of a Captain Marvel(1), and _she_ certainly wasn’t huge.

 

“And yet, from what I’ve heard, you would be able to take both of them on your own.” Loki smirked at the kid, and Clint was again confused. This kid is tiny! How could he fight someone like he’d described before?

 

“Not the point~” the kid sing-songed to shirk the statement.

 

“Klarion, he’s a bit...  Less, than what you promised. Perhaps he won’t be suitable after all…” The god- man –sighed, to the person behind him. ‘Klarion’, apparently.

 

Hawkeye wondered what the god meant by ‘promised’ and ‘suitable’. He honestly didn’t like what they implied.

 

“Excuse me, _oh great god_ , but I don’t see _you_ doing anything spectacular.” The unknown in the bubble snapped testily.

 

This just made Loki mad again. He spun around and faced the kid, anger rolling off of him in waves.

 

The god stepped forward, and passed through the orange field. He grabbed the boy’s neck and raised him off his feet. Hawkeye put down the recording device and silently snapped out his bow, at the same time snatching an arrow from his quiver.

 

This situation was deteriorating, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention.

 

“So you want a display, human? I can do that.” Loki said darkly.

 

Clint drew back the arrow; ready to fire should the renegade god do anything drastic.

 

“You have strength and magic. So what?” the kid croaked defiantly. “My friends have more powerful abilities, and they’re not _gods_.” He was still smirking, and Clint was absorbing this new information.

 

“You -“ Loki started before the kid nimbly bent out of his hand. He then surged forward and pushed the God of Mischief’s hand backwards.

 

Clint heard the loud _snap_ from there, and had to bite back a bitter laugh.

 

The magical being held the no doubt painful injury to his chest and took a few steps back.

 

The pleased smile on his face made Clint’s grip on his bow get tighter.

                                     

“Well, Klarion, he fits the bill perfectly. I’ll be taking him now.” Loki said in a content tone, and then snapped his fingers elegantly. The color of the hovering orb shifted from orange to green.

 

“It was nice doing havoc with you, Loki.” ‘Klarion’ said in that god-awful _(A/N: Bad puns, I’m so sorry…)_ voice.

 

The kid got a confused look on his face, as if he had no idea who Loki was.

 

Klarion waved a hand and a strange, red, swirling portal slid over him and his cat, causing them to vanish. Not without the slightly disturbing ‘wave and smile’ routine, of course.

 

After they were gone, Loki snapped his fingers again and the kid in the ball was uprooted as it moved with Loki.

 

Once they were gone, Hawkeye re-collapsed his bow and picked up the abandoned recording device. He turned it off, and then contacted his friends.

 

“Okay, the second hostile is gone via portal to an unknown location, but Loki has some form of prisoner. A kid, definitely not on Loki’s side. He’s using magic to keep him in a suspended ball.”

 

“ _Sounds pleasant._ ” Tony snarked.

 

“Yeah, anyway; Loki physically threatened him, and the kid broke his wrist in response. Kudos to him for that. He seems to have some form of training - both in fighting and emotional masking.” Clint said as he tailed the two from the rooftops. “ I’m going to keep up surveillance, head to the established rendezvous and we’ll plan from there.”

 

" _Alright, if you get the chance to take out Loki, do it, but don’t kill him; we need to know what he’s planning. Once we meet up, we’ll follow the tracker Tony installed into your GPS._ ” Captain America decided.

 

“Wait, Tony did _what_?” Clint demanded, but all he got was a metallic snicker before non-responsive static. “ _Damn_ Stark and his bullshit!” Hawkeye hissed at the frizzing comm. link before turning his full attention back to the swiftly leaving duo.

 

He noticed the kid looking around, and then… seeming to look directly at _him_.

 

_Fuck_.

 

Clint was _seriously_ praying that the kid wouldn’t blow his cover as he turned to the rogue alien.

 

“So, where’re we going?” the kid asked in the stereotypical kids-on-a-road-trip fashion, and, not for the first time, Clint couldn’t decide between wanting to smack him in the back of the head and giving him a high-five.

 

And it made for a great distraction.

 

“You’ll see.” Loki replied in a sly voice. A scowl placed itself on the boy’s features, and didn’t seem to fit…

 

Hawkeye continued following, staying crouched down to reduce the chance o his being spotted. Again.

 

 “Are we there yet?” the kid whined after a few minuets.

 

“No.” Loki said, already sounding annoyed.

 

Another several moments went by before: “Are we there yet?”

 

“No.” He napped again.

 

Hawkeye was stifling fucking _giggles_ as he descended to street level. _Grown-ass men - SHIELD agents_ \- did. Not. _Giggle!_

 

“… Are we there _now_?”

 

“ _No_.” Loki seemed ready to flip a table.

 

“... Ar-“ he began again, only to be cut off.

 

“For the last _damned_ time: no!” the suited male growled.

 

The kid grinned maliciously, and once again Hawkeye wanted to both congratulate, and smack him.

 

The archer was finally in a position to fire, and did so. An arrow flew straight through Loki’s foot.

 

“ _Ooh_ , I know for a _fact_ that that hurts.” The kid said with mock sympathy as he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

 

Loki turned halfway around, stopped by the projectile embedded in him, and grinned at us.

 

“Ah, hello _archer_. Come to ruin my fun?”

 

“ _Again_ , our definitions of that word are _very_ different.” The masked hostage snarked.

 

Clint smirked as he fired yet another arrow at the god of mischief.

 

Loki grabbed it from the air, just like during the Battle of New York, and Clint swore under his breath. _Screw gods and their superior reflexes!_

 

Loki reached down and yanked the previous dart out of his foot, then fully turned and deftly threw them at their owner.

 

Clint dropped into a roll to dodge them, while drawing three more. As he nearly instantly settled into his new position he let them fly.

 

Loki was barely able to avoid them, and Hawkeye just kept them coming. A mildly explosive shaft triggered three feet to his left, causing him to step directly into the blast zone of yet another.

 

In his peripheral vision, Clint took note of the wavering barrier around the unknown young man. He then played a different maneuver to test a theory.

 

Loki’s attention was divided between two explosions and a formation of ice beneath him. The green sphere wavered further, dropping a few inches in the air.

 

The archer’s smirk widened. _So it needs Loki’s concentration to stay intact? Let’s see what we can do about that…_

 

He began firing strategically planned set of programmed arrows ( _thank you_ , Stark) to keep Loki on his toes.

 

“ _Hawk, we’re on our way. ETA of two minuets._ ” Steve proclaimed in his ear.

 

“Great! Care to move _faster_?” He snapped into the comm. link.

 

“ _Hey! That’s as fast as we can go, Hawkass!_ ” Tony exclaimed like the idiot he was.

 

“ _Stark, he’s tricking Loki into thinking we’re farther out._ ” Natasha came to his defense. Judging from the heavy metallic thud, she’d thrown something at the billionaire for retribution.

 

Suddenly Clint got an idea.

 

“Ooh! Ooh! Can we finally use AP-17?” The archer inquired excitedly, genuine smile applying itself to his face.

 

“ _YES! I like that plan! Wadda ya say, Spangles? Can we?_ ”

 

“ _… Fine._ ” Steve reluctantly ground out after a moment. “ _But BE CAREFUL!_ ”

 

“ _No prob, Capsicle. Piece of cake, really._ ” Tony assured.

 

“Sweet.” Clint beamed.

 

AP-17 (Attack Plan 17) was the maneuver in which Clint rained hell upon somebody with explosive arrows, then Tony came up behind them and attempted capture. It was usually very painful for the captive, and that’s just the way Clint wanted it.

 

Hawkeye took a moment to check on the mysterious hostage.

 

The kid was doing something with what looked like a hologram; which struck Clint as odd, because Tony had previously stated that ‘it was _his_ tech and _no one_ had access to it’. Vehemently.

 

The archer decided to just ask later as he fired another volley of arrows on Loki.

 

The bubble was wavering constantly now, and the barrier was noticeably thinner.

 

“ _Incoming!_ ” Iron Man called into the communicator. Hawkeye had to hold back a voracious grin in case he tipped off Loki.

 

A massive and beautiful sequence of detonations sent Loki stumbling backwards. From the fire, a suit of shining red and gold (oddly camouflaged in the blaze) came and snatched him.

 

As Stark lifted Loki to a dizzying height, the bubble completely disbanded. Leaving a young man with smoky-tan skin standing there.

 

Clint quickly approached the individual, forgoing the usual caution with hostages because of the kid’s earlier bravado.

 

He held out his hand and began introducing himself, only to be cut off by the hand being smacked away and the kid jumping back into a (very good- screw that, try _flawless_ ) defensive stance.

 

Clint backed away immediately.

 

“Wow, kid, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Hawkeye, okay?” Hawkeye said calmly, but loosely. The kid was silent for a long moment, seemingly looking Clint over.

 

Oddly enough, the feeling he got was similar to that he felt when Natasha glared at him. That thought alone was disconcerting.

 

Clint instantly held up his hands in a sign of surrender. (And _did not_ smile. _Nope_. _Not_ a chance.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) There is a Captain Marvel in the Marvel universe. She is very pretty, but not very buff. I know next to nothing about her, and probably wouldn't even know of her existence had I not found a marvel hardcover comic in the public library that I frequent. I saw her, and could not resist the reference. she will not make an appearance, and I probably screwed something up by mentioning her, so think of that as an AU-ish thing.
> 
>  
> 
> Ermuhfergadur!!!!  
> Thank you so much for the 23 Kudos and 3 bookmarks!!!  
> That rising number was the push to get me to finish the chapter!!  
> (GAH!!! Never gotten that much feedback before for ANYTHING!!)
> 
> Ahem. So, on a less squealing note, I hope you liked the chappie! Feel free to point out any plot-holes, grammar/spelling mistakes. or things that strike you as odd.
> 
> I'm debating whether or not to include some YJ or JL POV in here, seeing as [[omitted due to spoilers]].
> 
> Sorry to burst bubbles, but I suck at updating, so regulars should not be expected...
> 
>  
> 
> Here's a poll:  
> Would you rather have Robin next get sent to -  
> A) The Justice League Unlimited dimension (no sidekicks)  
> B) The X-Men Universe (movie!verse)  
> C) the Teen Titans dimension  
> D) Batman Dimension (no JL, just the Batclan)  
> E) Other (please specify)  
> I needs feedback for the second part of the 'I Shit You Not' verse.


	3. Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking down Loki  
> and the rest of the 'Vengers show up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEK!  
> 42 Kudos, 18 comments (admittedly, half are mine, so...) 6 bookmarks, and 528 hits!!!!!! *Internally freaking out*  
> Thank you guys so much!

**Chapter 3 – Purple**

There was a giant explosion. Plain and simple.

 

And then a flying hunk of metal that yells ‘woohoo’ comes out of said inferno and picks up the ‘Loki’ guy.

 

As previously mentioned robot flies upward carrying the slightly scary (but not _Joker_ scary) man, the magic containment cell dissolved around Robin, which semi-confirmed his hypothesis on how it had stayed together.

 

He was processing this and suddenly there was a hand in his face and the acrobat instinctively fell into a defending position

 

The man relented without hesitation, and Robin recognized him as the archer from earlier.

 

Q

“Wow, kid, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Hawkeye, okay?” the blond told him in a slow and reassuring voice. Robin quickly scanned for weapons other than the bow; and revealed that the man was _armed to the teeth_.

 

Weaponry covered, he looked over the outfit. It was very agent-y, but had personal flare. And purple. (Why _purple_?)

 

The man smiled (in a way that came off as fond and vaguely nostalgic) at him and held up his hands in a ‘not attacking’ way.

 

“… Robin.” He returned, slightly worried by the fact that this person didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t one to brag, but the Robin persona had gotten very famous as of late.

 

“Two birds, huh? What’re the odds?” ‘Hawkeye’ smiled a different smile now, amused.

 

“Not in my favor?” he quipped with a cautious smirk, referencing both his previous situation and _Hunger Games_.

 

Hawkeye laughed, and Robin’s smile became more real.

 

The elder bird placed his finger to his ear, and nodded at something someone said.

 

“Say, Iron Ass, can you bring the god down?”

 

There was apparently a reply, as a pain-promising smirk found its way onto Hawkeye’s features. The archer looked up, and this prompted Robin to do so as well.

 

He saw the robot from earlier swoop down at an impressive speed, only to do a u-turn five feet before he hit the ground. This would surely cause nausea for his passenger.

 

If he thought about it, that was probably the point.

 

The robot dropped Loki on the ground, and the god curled up with this _look_ on his face.

 

Hawkeye laughed, and Robin found himself smiling as well.

 

Their amusement didn’t last very long, however, as Loki was quick to get up.

 

He launched himself at Robin, attempting to attack the teen but failing due to his reflexes. (Dizziness will dull even a god’s responses.)

 

He found three razor-disks perched between his fingers as he dodged the godling’s next advance.

 

He threw them deftly, and they slashed exactly where he’d aimed for them to. The first across Loki’s forearm, and the second into his left calf – shots designed to disable an opponent. The third left a gash just above the right eye – meant to intimidate and partially blind him.

 

Unfortunately, this did little to slow him down.

 

Loki jumped at Robin again, and the acrobat resorted to using a smoke pellet to give himself time for formulating a plan.

 

The tall man greatly favored his right arm; the one Robin had snapped the wrist of. (Cue prideful smirk) He was tall; and Robin could exploit this by ducking beneath his swings and between his legs when necessary.

 

“Little Bird, you can’t hide from me.” Loki leered through the smoke. The ‘little bird’ smirked as he silently crept behind the man.

 

“Oh, I think I can.” He struck out and leapt back swiftly, leaving Loki reeling. This tactic served Robin well; with his small size and acrobatic proficiency.

 

“You really think so?” the godling’s oddly British (what’s up with that?) voice followed him through the smoke.

 

“I’m pretty much sure of it.” He said as he sent a blow into the man’s side.

 

Before he vanished, however, Loki was able to grab the bird’s arm, a cruel smirk upon his face.

 

Robin’s eyes narrowed as he realized he’d been baited. And had fallen for it.

 

He growled, feral and angry, as he once again slipped from the man’s grip.

 

That _fucking smile_ was making him angry… But Canary had always told them to channel that.

 

Now the moronic godling was _helping_ him. Heh. There’s irony for you.

 

Robin shot upwards, doing a flip over him. Midair, the teen struck out with his leg and caught Loki across the face.

 

He let out a cackle as he landed behind the staggering man and tripped him.

 

Loki tried (and failed) to land with grace while Robin took the chance to vanish back into the smoke.

 

Loki got back up, head cocked as he listened intently for his aggressor. Of course, this didn’t help him any when Robin darted from directly in front of him to deal a blow to the ribs.

 

The pattern repeated itself several more times in similar fashion before Robin noticed the smoke beginning to clear.

 

As he flitted past Loki once more, an arrow slid between them (at which point Robin is mentally applauding Hawkeye’s aim) and hit Loki’s shoulder. A small explosive went off and Robin used imbalance it caused to trip the man again.

 

By the time he hit the ground, the white coverage had mostly dissipated.

 

Hawkeye was standing a bit off to the side; bow in hand, and arrow drawn.

 

Robin resisted the temptation to flash him a smirk as the god quickly stood again.

 

The red and gold robot from before walked up and punched the man, causing him to crash into the wall of a building.

 

It’s then that it dawned on Robin that _maybe_ these guys weren’t necessarily on his side.

 

That was a clear use of excessive force, which is _never_ a good sign.

 

Robin decided it would probably be a good idea to get to a more defensible position. He glanced over at the man and ‘bot to check that neither of them were looking in his direction, before dashing around to where he’d spotted a fire escape earlier.

 

Atop the building, he watched as a jet landed nearby and deposited four more people. A woman in a suit similar to Hawkeye’s, but with sleeves, no purple, and red hourglasses; a large man with blonde hair, a flowing red cape, and a hammer; a man in a suit that seemed to be an interpretation of the American flag with a shield to match; and finally a skittish man wearing a tweed jacket and wire-framed glasses.

 

They grouped together about ten feet away from the still form of Loki (at this moment, Robin shuddered. _Was the man dead?_ ) and began talking.

 

The bird remained carefully crouched and perfectly still when they scanned the surrounding area, presumably for him.

 

Below him, Loki groaned loudly.

 

The woman drew a gun and fired without hesitation.

 

Robin violently flinched, as if he was the one the bullet had struck.

 

Hawkeye, apparently given an accurate name, pointed him out almost instantly.

 

Robin found himself frozen, staring wide-eyed at the man on the ground, as they made their way towards him.

 

Sure, he’d clearly been a villain, but that didn’t give carte blanche for _killing_ him!

 

Robin glanced in their direction as Hawkeye held out a hand to stop his teammates, undoubtedly sensing Robin’s tension.

 

When Hawkeye came slowly closer, he stood, and the man stopped.

 

“Robin? You okay?” He asked quietly. Robin didn’t reply.

 

“Hey, kid, you all right?”

 

“M’not a kid,” Robin answered quietly, “and it really depends on your definition of that word.”

 

“Well-“

 

“Stop.”

 

Hawkeye ceased his reflexive movement, blinking behind his sunglasses.

 

“Hey, man, I’m on your side here-” the blonde tried to placate.

 

“How do I know that?” Robin snapped, cutting him off.

 

“We were _just_ fighting the same guy!” Hawkeye fumed.

 

“That means nothing more than that _he_ had more than one enemy.” Robin responded. “And the last time I followed the logic _‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’_ I ended up with a steel beam sticking out of my gut.” Robin said calmly, watching as they flinched.

 

“I don’t know about you,” the guy in the American flag suit stepped forward carefully. “But most people refer to us as heroes.”`

 

Robin watched his body language and facial expression as he spoke, searching for any  sign of deception.

 

“Either you aren’t lying, or you’re damn good at it.” Robin conceded, losing the majority of his tension. Hawkeye laughed, and the robot sputtered a bit at the last part. They both ignored them. “And what do you mean ‘most people’?”

 

“Some people still blame us for the alien invasion a while back.” The spangled man answers in a resigned tone.

 

Robin laughed. A small, haunting laugh.

 

Yeah, he knew how _that_ was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOYAH!!  
> Thanks for all the compliments and votes and encouragement! 
> 
> Okay, so to keep time oriented things where I want them, there will be a crossover before this.  
> it will be vaguely referenced, but not too heavily.  
> The votes from the below will decide where he goes before this.
> 
>  
> 
> As it stands, the vote goes like this (I counted split votes)  
> A) JLU: 2  
> B) X-Men Movie-Verse: 2  
> C)Teen Titans: 0  
> D) Batman Comics: 2  
> keep voting!!
> 
> Also tell me who's POV you'd like to see!


	4. Tranquilizer Darts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions, except better.  
> And Robin thinks Tony is a robot. JUST a robot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay, so updates are monthly-ish now.  
> If it gets PAST to the month mark (30 days), you ARE allowed to harass me.  
> Seriously, feel free to kick my ass with words to get me in gear.

Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, and Dr. Banner exited the quinjet. Hawkeye and Iron Man met them in the middle of the street, not too close to nor too far from Loki.

“You missed all the _ac-tion_!” Tony complained as only Tony can.

“”Heh, so did _you_! You didn’t do anything except pick him up, drop him, and punch him!” Barton crowed. [ _A/N:_ _Bird puns. I’m. Not. Sorry_.]

“You didn’t do anything either! You fired, like, two arrows!” Tony cried indignantly in retaliation.

“Wait,” Steve interjected, “if you two didn’t do anything, who did?”

“The kid did.” They answered at the same time.

“The _hostage_?” Dr. Banner demanded incredulously, eyes wide.

“Yeah! The kid’s like a ninja, I swear!” Tony said excitedly.

“So… Where is he?” Widow asked, leaning over to look behind the boys.

“Uh, shit, where’d he go?” Clint started glancing around frantically.

Steve looked around, along with everyone else, but was unable to locate a smallish person anywhere nearby.

Then Loki groaned dramatically and Black Widow shot him with what Steve knew to be a heavy tranquilizer.

Hawkeye then pointed out the boy, who was apparently on top of the building above Loki.

Clint led them up the fire escape up to the roof of the warehouse.

When he reached the top, Steve immediately took in the kids attributes.

The thing that stuck out most, were the encircled ‘R’ that peeked out from beneath the yellow lip of the cape and the domino mask with opaque white lenses.

Clint held out a hand, stopping us. Natasha nodded sagely to him before he stepped forward.

He stopped when the boy stood tensely.

“Robin? You okay?” when he didn’t make a move or reply, it prompted Clint to ask again “Hey, kid, you all right?”

“M’not a kid. And it really depends on your definition of that word.” He responded in a restrained voice

“Well-“ Hawkeye started as he took an unconscious step forward.

“Stop.” He halted at the stern tone in the boy’s voice.

“Hey, man, I’m on your side here-” Clint tried peacefully, only to be cut off by an angry:

“How do I know that?”

“We were _just_ fighting the same guy!” Hawkeye rationalized irritably.

“That means nothing more than that _he_ ” the kid nods down to Loki’s still form “had more than one enemy. And the last time I followed the logic _‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’_ I ended up with a steel beam sticking out of my gut.” He deadpanned.

Steve couldn’t help but flinch at the thought. _How had that happened to this kid?_

Steve stepped up next to Clint as unthreateningly as possible.

“I don’t know about you, but most people refer to us as heroes.”

He stared at Steve for a long time before answering in a complacent tone. “Either you aren’t lying, or you’re damn good at it.” I ignored the laughs from my teammates, “And what do you mean ‘most people’?”

“Some people still blame us for the alien invasion a while back.”

The responding laugh sent a chill up his spine: haunting and oddly reminiscent, like he’d ‘been there, done that’ as people said nowadays.

After a moment, looking Steve dead in the eyes (or so it seemed to Steve) and asked in a voice that trembled so slightly he wasn’t sure even _he_ heard it, “If you’re heroes, then why did she shoot him?” He pointed to Loki on the ground beneath them.

“Heroes don’t _do_ that where I come from.” He added forcefully.

“Son, that was a security measure. A mere tranquilizer dart. Loki is very dangerous, and his magic would likely allow him to escape any conventional means of restraint. That is _solely_ to keep him down until we got him to holding.” Steve explained.

He got that feeling of being thoroughly examined again, before the boy nodded in acknowledgement.

“Well then, I’m Captain America.” He held out a hand, which the young man took warily.

“I go by Robin.” They shook, and Steve was surprised by the strength behind the grip. After they released, Steve turned to his team.

“You’ve already met Hawkeye,” the man waved. “This is Thor-”

“Hello, young warrior!” The god greeted. “I’m truly repentant for my brother’s actions!” Robin smiled at the booming voice and nodded to him, while seeming to file away the man’s relation to his attacker.

“This is Black Widow,” Steve gestured to her and she nodded to Robin, who returned the gesture with a moment of consideration and narrowed eyes. “Dr. Bruce Banner.” He smiled warmly at Robin, who grinned in return. “And, last but not least, Iron Man.”

“Hey, kid.” Tony waved, shifting his weight and placing a hand on his hip, as if he were bored.

“That is one _high-tech_ robot.” Robin said almost reverently, gazing at the bot.

Suddenly Tony cursed. “Crap, guys, I have to go!” he said in his almost-monotonous robot voice. Robin watched as the man took off into the sky.

Seeing the awed look on his face, and observing that he seems to be very well-versed in technology (based on the under-his-breath mumblings Steve’s sure Robin doesn’t know he can hear), Steve is almost afraid to think of what the two would do in Tony’s workshop together…

_Wait,_ he thinks, _why would the two be in Tony’s lab?_ Because it’s not as if the boy will be staying long, right? _Speaking of…_

“Robin, can I ask how you got here?” Steve ventures after a moment.

“Huh? Oh… Yeah. That’s the problem, isn’t it?” Robin said with a sheepish smile. “Klarion, unfortunately, broke into our base and knocked us all out, and I woke up in that containment field.” He explained. “I don’t even know where ‘here’ _is_. My GPS isn’t working.”

He swiped his right hand over his left wrist, and a blue screen popped up, similar to Tony’s holograms back at the Tower.

“See?” he prompted, turning the tinted image towards us. “Nothing! This thing is supposed to be hooked up to _every_ satellite there _is_ and technically _isn’t_ , and yet there’s not even _Wi-Fi_.” He continued. “The _last_ time something like this happened I- … Shit.” His expression dropped suddenly.

“Robin?” Steve inquired, genuinely curious as to what the boy had been about to say. The others seemed to feel the same, unconsciously leaning forward a bit.

The young male bit his lip, and seemed to raise his eyebrows ponderously behind the mask before taking in a breath and letting it out slowly.

“What do you guys know about inter-dimensional travel?” he asked slowly, carefully; edging just a bit away from them and towards the lip of the building.

Steve blinked a few times, that not being what he’d been expecting.

“Well, not much, if we’re being honest.” I answered.

“But you _are_ aware it’s possible?” He clarified, and we collectively nodded. Robin’s stance seemed to lose some of its tension, a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Well that’s a relief. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince people of that? Honestly, they should’ve been far more open-minded, all things considered.” He shook his head disappointedly.

“I take it this has happened to you before?” Natasha asked, eyebrow elegantly raised.

“Ah, yes. Me, and people I work with. Many times. Not really all that uncommon, actually.” He answered. “Which is honestly kind of sad, if I think about it.” He added thoughtfully, frowning.

The expression seemed misplaced on the boy’s face; an observation that surprised Steve, seeing as he’d known him for all of five minutes.

“ _Anyway_ ,” he started up again. “-since that’s the case, and we’re all heroes here, I don’t see why there should be any more problems.” He smiled in a pleased way, hopefulness just _barely_ making it to the surface of his voice.

“I agree.” Steve said, nodding to the young hero. Who relaxed all that much more.

Clint raised his hand a bit to get our attention. “If Loki is interested in you, it might be best for you to stay with us.” He suggested carefully. Steve nodded, thinking the same thing. _We can protect him at the Tower._

“We can also help working on a way to get you home.” Steve added, watching the boy’s reaction.

He seemed a bit apprehensive at first, but resigned to the idea after a moment of thought.

He nodded to Steve. “Alright.”

Clint smiled brightly, waving for the kid to follow as he jumped down to the fire escape. “C’mon, shorty!”

“M’not that short!” The boy retorted, following the man with a  playful smile.

Steve listened as he followed them at a slower pace alongside Thor, Bruce, and Natasha.

“Yes you are! Jesus, how old _are_ you, anyway? Ten? Eleven? Twelve would be pushing it!” The archer laughed

“Fourteen, thank you.” Robin snapped back.

“Liar!” Clint denied before the two entered the quinjet and exited Steve’s hearing range.

“Well, this is going to be interesting.” Steve said to no one in particular.

Bruce nodded slowly, Thor frowned in thought, and Natasha _grinned_.

Steve wasn’t sure which worried him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Well then, I’m Captain America.”  
> “I go by Robin.”  
> I did that on purpose.  
> I see it as Steve really IS Captain America. Just as much as Cap is Steve. Whereas Dick and Robin are separate. Maybe not by much, but the line is there.
> 
>  
> 
> \- A) JLU: 3  
> \- B) X-Men Movie-Verse: 2  
> Kay, considering switching this to X-Men: Evolution, because the characters fit better together. Any thoughts?  
> \- C)Teen Titans: 0  
> (Nobody?)  
> \- D) Batman Comics: 2
> 
> again, vote for the next bit, and tell me who's POV you'd like to see!


	5. Black and Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha's observations of the newcomer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap guys! I'm so so so so so (Times infinity) sorry! I got really really stuck on the last bit, and yeah, it's like 3,000 words shorter than my other chapters and, ugh, sorry... please don't hate me...  
> Anyway, here you go... T.T

Throughout the trip back to Avengers Tower, Natasha watched the young boy, Robin, and Clint banter back and forth.

Despite his easy attitude and skills at hiding his emotions, she saw he was still wary.

The way his shoulders were ever so slightly stiff, when he glanced back around at the people around him, how he hesitated for just a moment before he returned a verbal barb the archer’s way, his purposefully sitting closest to the door.

Robin had gone absolutely rigid when she’d passed him on her way to her seat before takeoff. His flickering gaze always lingered longer on Natasha. He looked her way after every bit of wit he spoke, checking her reaction. His back was facing away from her the most.

It was either because of her using the gun, which indicated him having some form of mental reinforcement against them (from either trauma or training); or he recognized her movements as assassin (which worried her more than slightly).

  _Anyone his age should not be so intimate with the behaviors of assassins to be able to recognize one from so little evidence._

The thought caught her off guard. She wasn’t naturally protective of anyone except Clint… and Coulson. The other Avengers she was warming up to, yes, but they weren’t quite there yet.

            _So why is the boy’s safety crossing my mind?_

Natasha mulled over this for the remainder of the flight, occasionally checking her fellow passengers.

At the tower, they were greeted by Jarvis.

Robin jumps slightly at the sound of the AI’s voice, an emotion Natasha doesn’t quite recognize passing across his face.

“Who’s that, and where is he?”

“Ah,” Bruce chuckles. “That’s Jarvis. He’s an AI, and basically the all-powerful, omni-present butler.”

“Indeed, Dr. Banner.” Jarvis agrees.

Robin smiles, bright and amused, though Natasha doesn’t know why. Perhaps there is something similar in is dimension…

            “Might I inquire as to who our guest is? Sir was not clear in this regard, as he was in a hurry to Ms. Potts’ meeting.”

“I’m Robin.” The boy introduces himself, looking up at the ceiling, where the speakers are.

“A pleasure, young sir.”

He smiled again.

“Cool.” He murmured.

“So, what do we do while we wait for Iron Ass to get back?” Clint asked the group.

Natasha sees the raised eyebrow, and notes the smile and headshake from the youthful male.

“Uh, how about a tour?” The younger bird suggests, displaying confidence in his voice and obvious body language, though she saw a bit of hesitancy in his stance.

“I think that’s probably a good idea.” Bruce said with a half-smile. “We wouldn’t want a repeat of the Spiderman Incident.”

Natasha couldn’t help but smirk, while Clint cracked up and even Steve smiled. _That_ had been a fun day.

“Aye! We wouldn’t want our young guest to feel unwelcome.” Thor agreed, not realizing there was an inside joke at play.

Robin, once again, seemed to note the information, but refrain from inquiring.

“This way!” Clint, unsurprisingly, takes charge; grabbing the boy’s hand and dragging him down the hallway as he calls out something about the kitchen and their ‘sentient stove’.

Natasha finds herself wondering what happened while she was gone last week. Then deciding she’d rather not know.

 

* * *

 

 

Robin appeared subtly impressed by everything; not hugely so, and not obviously, but still.

Natasha watched him as he interacted with the others. He was more open now; his smiles a bit more real and laugh less restricted.

‘ _Jesus, it’s creepy_ ’ she though when she heard the teen’s cackle.

The others seemed to share the sentiment; shuddering at the sound.

“What’s with the _laugh,_ kid?” Clint eventually asks.

They’re in the common room with the TV turned to a science channel that mostly Bruce is watching, though Natasha catches Robin sneaking a glance every so often. Bruce and Natasha are sitting on the couch and Clint has claimed the paupason, while Robin is in the recliner with his legs crossed. The others have vanished to their respective floors.

Robin just grins and continues going through the compartments in his bright yellow belt.

“No, seriously, I wanna know.” Clint insists playfully putting his book down.

“To quote my mentor- ‘criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot’.” Robin recites in a deep tone. “It scares the living hell out of ‘em and makes my job that much easier.” He says in his normal voice.

“If I may ask, what exactly _is_ your job?” Bruce ventures.

“Professional hero, at your service, but I do vigilante work on the side.” Robin said nonchalantly. He stiffened a bit, though, seeming to glance around.

“Oh.” Bruce nodded.

“Wait,” Clint pronounced, “like, what kind of vigilante work?”

“Uh, jumping rooftops in the middle of the night and kicking the asses of criminals.”

“Oh.” Clint nodded, and they went back to their respective activities

 a little while, he asked; “So what’s an average night like?”

“Well, the answer to that would depend on the type of night you’re asking about.” He said cryptically. “There’s the patrol nights, the stakeout nights, and the Arkham nights.” Robin answered, putting his belt down entirely.

Natasha noticed how his fingers would twitch towards it every so often. _It’s his security blanket_ , she recognized. _Much like the twin knives Clint and Phil gave me._ The realization both calmed her and made her curiosity itch to investigate the object.

“A patrol night usually entails taking down muggings and… other spontaneous offenses,” he winced, and Natasha inferenced what he meant by that. “as well as the not-so-occasional bank robberies and hostage situations. Easy, quick, no damage. _Stakeout_ nights are when we take out a gang, or a drug ring, or other organized crimes. We get to have a lot of information beforehand, so they’re also easy. And no civilian casualties.” He smiled.

“And… Arkham nights?” Natasha ventured cautiously. The grin slipped from his face.

“Those are… Those are when the crazies get out. And I emphasize _when_ not _if_.” Robin inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Arkham Asylum is just that; an insane asylum for the craziest of the crazies. The kind only Gotham breeds. The big-name villains break out of Arkham so often that I freakin’ swear the place is made of tissue paper.” He ranted, hand unconsciously gripping the yellow belt at his side.

“Those… those are the nights when we get… mass civilian casualties.”

Everyone sobered at that.

They all knew, _Natasha_ knew, what that was like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so so sorry... it's short and yeah.  
> i might start doing shorter chapters for quicker updates (at least 1000 words)
> 
> I thrive on feedback; good and bad, so don't hesitate to tell me how you feel about the chapter!  
> I want to know who you want to see and any requests for scenes!  
> Feel free to contact me via Tumblr- @ghyst-alae


	6. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Director Fury doesn't like surprises.  
> A teenaged vigilante from another universe-dimension-whatever counts as a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short... sadly so. It's pathetic, really.  
> I'm sorry.

Nicholas J. Fury, Director of SHIELD, was not easily surprised.

He more often than not expected even the most unlikely of outcomes.

He was not, however, expecting _this_.

Steve Rogers, Captain America, was debriefing him on the happenings of their earlier mission.

A mission on which they discovered an inter-dimensional traveler; a _prepubescent vigilante_ at that.

Loki, the slippery bastard, had at some point escaped Asgard, made a new friend, kidnapped this ‘bird’ character, and come back here.

_Damn it._

Rogers presented footage of the two criminals involved collected by Barton.

The screen showed the inside of a warehouse, an above view courtesy of a catwalk.

The recorder tilted downwards, showing two people, one easily identifiable as Loki, and another smaller shape. It also showed an odd orange containment field, spherical in shape, with another small form inside. Rogers identified each of the unknowns, the ‘Robin’ boy in the ball, and his apparent captor ‘Klarion’.

The rest of the recording played in silence, nothing being of much interest until the godling attacked the kid, Clint drew his bow, and the child retaliated (which Nick did _not_ smirk at).

“And where is this ‘Robin’ character now?” Nick turned to Rogers, raising an eyebrow.

“Natasha and Clint have him under surveillance in the tower common room. They’re questioning him for credibility at the moment.”

“Keep watching him until I’ve decided the best course of action. Should he give reasonable suspicion, bring him here immediately.” Rogers nodded, and left.

Nick sighed, and slumped in his chair. Checking the software for any bugs first, he called his second-in-command.

“Nick, you asshat, why are you calling me right now?” the man snapped.

“Nice to see you too, Cheese.”

Phillip Coulson glared through the screen. “Seriously, Nick, now’s not a great time.”

“Sorry, Phil, but I could use your input on this.” The director said, and Phil sighed exasperatedly.

“What’s the situation.”

“A kid, claiming to be a hero, from another dimension- universe- whatever. Loki and an as-of-yet unknown accomplice brought him over. Motives unknown, though ‘chaos’ seems to be a key component.”

“There are protocols for most of that. Why do you need me?” the ‘Agent of Agents’ inquired.

“The kid. What do you think the best course of action is?”

“Current situation?””

“Subtle surveillance and questioning by your Barton and Romanoff.”

“Observaions so far?”

“Romanoff says he’s a bit insecure or uncomfortable around them, but puts on a façade of nonchalance. Fairly willing to answer questions, if only for conversation. He seems to have a strong aversion to guns. The boy has yet to remove is domino mask, and she sees no intention of doing so anytime soon.”

“And he says he’s a hero?” Nick nodded. “I’d have one of them bring him up and talk to you. Introduce yourself as the head of this organization, make sure he knows we’re connected to the government.” Don’t be overbearing. Let his loyalties show over time. If you find something suspicious, question it, but don’t get threatening.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “Fine. I’ll call you to let you know how it goes.”

“Later, Nick.”

Nicholas J. Fury wasn’t often surprised, but when he was, he always had Phil Coulson to fall back on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like i said, short...
> 
> My flashdrive containing all my fanfics got lost and i had to rewrite the whole thing. And i have no idea what I wrote before.  
> I promise the next chapter will be longer! 
> 
> Speaking of the next chapter: I promised someone it would be the YJ dimension? Yeah, no. That's not happening till chapter 9 or 10... Sorry, hun! It will be glorious, i swear it! It just doesn't fit into the flow right now... (I actually have some semblance of a plan!)


	7. Science and Other Existential Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a jerk, yes, BUT I HAVE A BETA NOW!!!  
> They are awesomeness and amazingness and everybody say "Hi Timelord!" because that's who they are 'til they get a damned account. (do it now)  
> but yeah i held back a day and im glad i did because they saved my stupid ass multiple times here.  
> anyway, enjoy!

The atmosphere in the room was rather dark for a while after his confession.

Dr. Banner left at some point, explaining that there was research down in his lab that he didn’t want to leave alone for too long.

Robin was sad to see him go. He’d liked the man’s presence, something feeling very ‘safe’ about him. Follow your gut, B always says.

The remaining were all silent.

Hawkeye, ‘call me Clint’, was the first to restart conversation.

“Are there many other heroes in your world?”

“Yeah, a lot.”

“Powers?” Clint seemed genuinely curious.

“Some of ‘em.” Robin answered noncommittally.

“Any archers?” He smirked, flexing his arm jokingly.

“A lot, actually.” The teen thought about it for a while. “Green Arrow, Speedy, who’s gone solo and calls himself Red Arrow now, and Huntress are the most famous ones; and there are a lot of us who can use the bow, just not as our primary weapon.” He doesn’t mention Artemis. She’s not public yet, and he’s not going to tell them anything they couldn’t just google back home.

“Cool.” He grinned. “And you?”

“Me?” Robin raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. What kinds of powers do you have?” the man smiled disarmingly, and it felt genuine. “Or what type of fighting do you prefer?”

“I don’t have powers, though a lot of people think I do,” he answered after a moment. “I like hand-to hand, I suppose.” Nothing they couldn’t find out from newspapers. “Though projectiles are always fun to work with.”

Robin saw Black Widow trying to subtly text someone, and he was definitely curious as to who it was.

Theories ran through his head, just like they would in any other situation. Lover? Family? Boss? Friend? Partner? Teammate? Coworker?

Suddenly she looked at Clint, and he looked back, and Robin got the feeling of déjà vu…. (oh, wait, that’s what Wally says B and I look like when we’re ‘talking-without-talking’)

“Robin, we’d like to take you to meet someone.” Black Widow says.

Robin tilts his head in the slightest, eyes narrowing. “Who?”

“He’s a guy we work with. Well technically for, but we don’t actually listen to him half the time anymore. He can help with the ‘getting you home’ thing.”

After a moment of internal debate, Robin grabbed his belt and slipped it on, nodding when he was ready to go.

The trip to the ‘helicarrier’ was not very different from the one to the tower; just shorter, and beginning with a disagreement on drivers. (“Ooh, can I drive?” “No, Clint. I like being alive.” “But-“ “No.” “Damnit.”)

Black Widow suggesting he tell Robin about SHIELD was the only thing able to erase Clint’s pout.

SHIELD was, apparently, an organization dedicated to national, and sometimes branching into international, safety. Somewhat like the Justice League. Nick Fury was the head of said organization. The helicarrier, a literal flying aircraft carrier, was the HQ for SHIELD.

The craft was interesting, he’d give it that.

He was escorted, and that’s what it was, through the halls by the two heroes, and into a spacious office the overlooked what seemed to be the central command hub of the helicarrier.

Nick Fury was without a doubt this dimension’s version of Batman.

The tall, well-built man had an aura of authority about him, and Robin could immediately tell he had an attitude not to be trifled with. The leather trench coat flared around him when he turned, and the eye-patch, well, it just added to the image.

“Barton, Romanoff.” He greeted the two flanking him, then looked down at the acrobat. “And I suppose you’re this ‘Robin’ person?”

Oh. Oh. Robin doesn’t like this guy already. Talking down to someone like that is not a way to make a good impression.

“The one and only.” Robin confirmed in a neutral tone, trying not to let his eye twitch.

The man examined him silently.

Robin did the same.

He huffed dismissively.

Robin swallowed a growl, and adjusted his weight so he appeared quite at-ease.

Angry Pirate (as Robin has officially decided to call him until there is some form of apology for being an utter jerk) glared at him.

“What?”

“You?” he demanded. “A hero? How old are you again? Twelve?” He was definitely being condescending and it sounded as if he was holding back a laugh as well.

Robin’s eye twitched behind his mask (luckily invisible to anyone who didn’t know him well) and he braced himself before answering. “I’m one of the best. My mentor is arguably the best.” answered Robin tersely. “I’ve been doing this since I was nine.”

Angry Pirate actually snorted.

“There’s no way you’d be able to handle the same things as whatever crazy-ass adult let you run around in a costume. Not if they’re on the same level as the things the Avengers team faces.” The tall man sneers down at the teen.

Robin took a subtly deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fourteen-thousand, nine-hundred, sixty-two.” He pronounced slowly, gravely. “That’s how many lives were lost last time Riddler, a decidedly B-class Gotham villain, got out. Forty-two were police officers; well-trained ones at that.” He definitely had the attention of the room now. “Another twenty thousand were injured.”

“Five of the seven heroes who got involved were benched afterwards because of injuries. I, the only minor, was not one of them. I was the one to take Riddler down and deliver him to the police, while my own mentor was caught up in the mess caused by the hired thugs.” He continued morbidly. “And that was all in one night.”

The teen didn’t bother to mention that this was one of the most violent of the man’s escapades, or that B had been considering moving him up to a classification closer to a low A-Class

“I am one of twenty heroes under the age of eighteen. I’m the youngest, but also the most experienced. I was the first child hero, and I faced a lot more adversity than any of my comrades did just for that. I proved myself time and time again, back home, and if I must I’ll do so here as well.”

Angry Pirate observes Robin for a long moment.

The he nods.

“Alright. What do you know about inter-universal tra-“

“Inter-dimensional.” Robin interrupts.

Angry Pirate stares at him for a moment.

“I beg your pardon?” he demands sarcastically.

“I’m in another dimension, not universe. There’s a difference.” Robin explains dryly. “And I know quite a bit.”

Angry Pirate glares, but gives no indication of stopping him.

Robin continues. “There are distinct differences between alternate universes and dimensions.

“A universe and all its alternates are within a single dimension. Every dimension has a set of… characters, so to speak. The same people recurring over and over. At times, dimensions will overlap, causing ‘crossovers’ with the different groups, but most often they stick to themselves.

“The universes are just different situations, caused by a changed set of events. For example, there is likely a universe in which you are all boring people with boring lives and boring jobs. There’s probably one where one of you was never born. The possibilities are quite literally endless.”

Robin finishes and begins judging the reactions of his new acquaintances.

Angry Pirate and Black Widow seem to be taking it in stride, whereas Clint seems to be thinking quite deeply about the implications of what he’s just learned.

Black Widow smirks, ever so slightly and for only a moment. Robin wouldn’t have seen it if he didn’t work with B.

“Kid knows his stuff.”

Angry Pirate nods, eye narrowed in thought.

“Romanoff, contact Doctor Foster and her associates. Their expertise will be needed.” **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm starting to type up the next (previous) installment, but im not going to post till im done here.  
> also, making an ff net and actually posting shit soon.
> 
> (Tumblr is amazing and my name is Ghyst-Alae.)


	8. Late Nights and Noodle Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve comes home late, and has a talk with the Avengers' new 'guest'

Steve sighed as he exited the private elevator into the main Avengers floor, quite a bit later than he’d intended to. He shifted the weight of the punching bag on his shoulder, before heading for the kitchen. A side effect of his transformation was a higher metabolism, and, by extension, a bigger appetite.

The super soldier gently lowered the heavy bag to the floor, not wanting to disturb whatever rest his teammates were currently getting.

Steve had been delayed by SHIELD’s R&D department summoning him and having him test out several ‘new’ creations, several of which Tony had already thought of and supplied him with.

The bag, which was reportedly ‘indestructible’, sagged against the cupboards as the super soldier reached into the fridge to grab a container of leftovers. As luck would have it, there was still something left from the last time Bruce had taken control of the kitchen; even though Clint _adored_ the man’s cooking and had a habit of squirreling it away to his floor, where he stashed it in the mini-fridge hidden somewhere in his private loft.

Steve tensed as he heard a soft step behind him: too light to be Bruce, Tony, or Thor; not the right sound to be any of Natasha’s shoes (and if she’d been trying to sneak up on him, he admittedly wouldn’t have heard her at _all_ ); and Clint preferred to go barefoot in the comfort and familiarity of the Tower.

_How did someone even get past Jarvis?_

He whirled around, still holding the food…

And froze at the sight of a boy perched on the counter, some five feet away.

_Oh._

_Right._

_Robin._

To be honest, Steve had forgotten about the youth in the chaos that was SHIELD’s R&D.

“Hello.” He tried for nonchalance, hoping his voice came out less startled than he felt.

“Hi.” The cheeky smirk on the masked child’s face informed Steve that he’d failed in that particular endeavor.

Robin was still wearing his uniform; the red and yellow contrasting with the black, and the circled ‘R’ standing out over his heart. His gloves and lensed mask were still in place, but the cape had been removed.

_It all looks a bit odd, without the cape._ Steve dismissed the thought with a blink.

“What are you doing up?” He was curious.

“What are _you_ doing up?” Robin asked back, tone playful but face carefully blank.

Steve let out an amused hum as he rifled through a drawer for a fork. _The kid has a sense of humor, I’ll give him that_ , he admitted to himself as he pulled the utensil out of the cluttered mess.  “Got held up by the tech department back at base.” He told him. “Wanted me to test some things for them.”

Robin nodded sympathetically, seeming to watch Steve’s hands as he prepared the noodles to be heated.

“So what about you?” Steve repeated his inquiry. “Why are you still awake this late?”

Robin looked at him in silence, as if debating his response.

“Oh, you know-” He shrugged, “I may-or-may-not be riding a fantastic post-kidnapping adrenalin high. Hypothetically, of course.”

Steve smiled. “Of course.”

They sat in relative silence after that, waiting for the microwave to announce in a shrill tone that it has finished heating the leftovers.

“Want some?” Steve offered, half as a way to break the silence, and half just being polite.

The boy eyed him for a moment, considering. “What is it?”

“Uh…” Steve looked down at the container curiously. “Some sort of… noodle food? Bruce made it.” The Avenger smiled sheepishly, and nodded his head in the general direction of the man’s floor.

Robin fidgeted minutely at the name, but accepted Steve’s offer of a fork.

He split it evenly, giving a plate to Robin and having the Tupperware bowl for himself.

The boy took a bite, and smiled. Steve then began as well.

At first, Steve tried to be polite; eating relatively slowly, and at a normal human pace, but he occasionally- embarrassingly –slipped up a bit.

Robin smirked at him from his plate. “You can, you know.”

Steve paused mid-slurp, raising an eyebrow that questioned the blunt statement.

“Eat.” Steve was confused. “Like you normally do?” Robin had an expectant expression on his face, like Steve should know _exactly_ what he’s talking about and should have responded coherently by now.

He’s _so_ confused.

Robin sighed, sounding vaguely exasperated (it reminded him of Coulson), though the half-smile never left its place. “I’m assuming you have some sort of accelerated metabolism?” Steve nodded, finishing the noodles on his fork. Robin chuckled. “You’re acting exactly like a friend of mine when we go out to eat in civvies. His metabolism is faster than _he_ is, and that’s saying something.” Robin gave a short, abortive laugh and then he was quiet for a moment.

“So yeah. Trust me, you can eat as fast as you like. It won’t gross me out.” He then went back to picking at his own food again.

Steve wondered at the boy for a short time. He was incredibly observant. And considerate. And awkward and gangly and _short_.

_Just like I was._

Steve is beginning to think he and their guest will get along quite well. 

* * *

 

When Steve finished his food (and the helping that Robin had pushed in his direction, a smirk on his face) he looked over at his companion.

Robin had an elbow on the counter, chin propped on his hand. The whites of his mask’s lenses were mere slits, and his head dipped every few moments.

“Robin?” Steve asked quietly, an embarrassed blush creeping over his face. _Has he fallen asleep?_ Steve had no clue as to what he’d do if the boy _had_. He obviously needed the rest, but… _there’s no way that sleeping on a counter is comfortable. Or good for your body._ He didn’t even know where his teammates had decided Robin would be bunking!

_Oh wait. Jarvis._

“Hm?” Robin’s head snapped up suddenly, reacting late to Steve’s prodding.

“You tired?” Steve questioned, a smile creeping across his face. _Adorable._

Robin gazed at him for a few moments. Then; “Fi’ all-ni’ers ‘ll do that to ya’” He slurred. Steve stared at him. _Jesus, kid! Five days with no sleep? What the hell?_

“You think you can make it to your bunk?” He asked gently, moving around the counter to catch the sleepy child should his swaying get any more extreme.

“Mmm- _hmm_!” he hummed the affirmative with cheer and false energy.

“Alright then.” He slowly moved away from the counter, watching for Robin to follow. “Jarvis, could you lead us to where Robin is staying the night?”

“Of course, Captain.” Panels lit up along the walls, lighting a soft blue trail for Steve to follow.

The Avenger turned back to Robin- “Okay, kiddo, let’s-” –only to see him slumped against the nearest wall. “-go?”

Steve sat there is stunned silence, staring at the unconscious youth.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

“Robin?” He stepped closer carefully. (He did remember- despite his current, utterly innocent, appearance –that the young man had serious skills, and that such skills usually came with a violent reactive reflex when caught unawares.) “Robin, are you awake?”

There was no response, aside from what Steve decided to interpret as a soft snore.

_Crap… Maybe I could-?_

“Robin?” Steve stepped closer, just within arm’s reach, and gently shook his shoulder. “C’mon, kiddo, let’s go.” He tried guiding the boy down the hall.

Unfortunately, Robin was entirely out and began to fall without the wall as support.

Steve caught him, holding his arms lightly. “Hey, Robin? Since you can’t seem to make it yourself, I’m going to carry you, alright? Robin?” The boy remained limp against him. “Alright, kiddo. I’m gonna pick you up now.”

The super soldier slid one arm around the young vigilante’s shoulders, and the other under his knees. He was watchful to any reaction the boy might have, but saw none.

Steve hefted Robin up as gently as he could, shifting his own weight to account for the change in his center of gravity. He was entirely slack in Steve’s arms, head lolling as they moved down the hall.

As he carried the youth, Steve found himself marveling at the innocence on his face. Even with the mask on, Robin was so much more… child-like when he wasn’t awake and guarding himself.

_So young… How did he get into this life?_

Steve’s eyes had caught the lighter marks on his arms earlier, and traveled to them now; scars from what he identified as knives and- he loathed to think it –bullets.

_Who would be crazy enough to drag a child into the dangers he must face?_

“Captain Rogers?” Jarvis’ British voice brought him out of his contemplation.

“Uh, yes?” He looked up, as he always seemed to when the AI spoke.

“You seem to have gone past the young sir’s quarters.” He was informed.

Steve looked to where the blue panels no longer glowed. “Oh.”

He turned around, heading to where the trail of light ended.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss as he got near, controlled by Jarvis.

The super soldier walked in, taking note of the cape neatly folded on the nightstand with the lamp that Jarvis flicked on, and placed the unconscious boy atop the covers.

He adjusted Robin’s weight bit, and pulled back the comforter. He shifted, grumbling groggily as he settled into the pillows.

Steve pulled the covers over the Robin’s shoulders; catching a glimpse of yet another scar on the child’s throat, just next to the vein that pulses with lifeblood.

Something hard and angry roiled in his gut, and he forced himself out of the room.

The door slid shut behind him as he slid deep into his thoughts.

_He’s such a small boy, but so big in personality. What happened to him? How? Why did someone so young have so many scars? It’s not **fair** -_

Suddenly there was a presence in front of him.

Steve stiffened, bring a fisted hand in front of him, but not striking.

He was very glad for that restraint a moment later, when he realized the person in his path was his teammate.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, and Steve felt duly ridiculous.

He relaxed, cocked his head.

Natasha didn’t reply to his obvious question, only turned and began moving down the hall.

Steve followed her, going back towards the kitchen where the lights were still on and the dirty dishes were still on the bar.

She placed herself on a stool and watched as Steve went about cleaning up the mess he’d left behind.

“So,” the man began. “what is it that has you up so late?”

Natasha smirked, and didn’t answer right away. Her eyes trailed him as he continued to straighten up.

“What’s your impression?” Steve turned to look at her.

“My impression?”

“Of Robin. What do you think of him?”

“I think he’s a kid who wants to go home.” Steve said honestly. Robin, for all obvious capability, seemed to feel helpless. (This also came across as a feeling the child absolutely _loathed._ )

The woman tilts her head to the side, giving Steve a serious look. “Is that all?”

Steve frowns. “Is there something else I’m supposed to be looking for?” (So what if he sounded a bit defensive?)

“From what I’ve seen, he hides himself to a… very intense degree. Never displays his emotions. Doesn’t ask the questions or make the comments he obviously wants to.” She stated, matter of fact rather than argumentative.

Steve sighed. “He’s a kid, surrounded by people he doesn’t know or anywhere _near_ trust. You really expect him to open up right away?”

Natasha narrows her eyes, like that was what she expected Steve to say. “And what if he’s acting? What if he isn’t such a lost boy? What if he’s working with Loki or that ‘Klarion’?” She implores, her gaze intense.

“Does everyone _have_ to have an ulterior motive, Natasha?” He fires back. Steve doesn’t like where this conversation is going; it sounds like the start of a fight, and he really doesn’t need a team divided.

But Natasha sighs, looking away for a moment. “You’re right.” She doesn’t elaborate, and Steve doesn’t pry.

The super soldier puts away the last dish, closing the cupboard.

“We’ve got surveillance in the halls, and Jarvis is monitoring his activity in the room.” The spy tells him after a moment of silence.

Steve nods. “That seems reasonable. Not too invasive, but not giving him free reign. You _are_ right about that, you know.” He tells her honestly. “It’s not smart to trust a stranger so soon, especially in our home.”

_Because that’s what the tower has become for us, a home. Sure, we don’t spend_ all _of our time here, but it’s a place where we all can’t help but feel safe._

Steve hopes that, at least until the boy can return to _his_ home, that this can be a safe haven for him too.

The man hauls the bag back over his shoulder and stands. “Goodnight, Natasha.” He gently puts his hand on her shoulder as he walks past, heading for the elevator again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, here it is?  
> I am so very sorry about the delay. There were bunch of problems with my computer and then writers block decided to try and kill me.  
> Okay, no more excuses. [sigh]
> 
> I have decided, due to many long and bored nights of contemplation, how i actually want this fic to go. (that means, le gasp, a PLOT! Albeit a very loose one.)  
> I'm going to rewrite a little bit of some of the previous chapters (not much, but still.) and after seeing the magic that is Age Of Ultron i will be changing a few details.
> 
> So, awesome. Yeah.  
> If something feels off, or you find a plot hole, or just want to comment on something feel free! (i do better with feedback, i swear)


	9. Assessment and Acquaintance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is tired, but he has things he needs to do before he lets himself rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually got this done a week ago? heh. sorry....
> 
> But a huge thanks to my beta, agentmargaretcarter.  
> They. Are. The. Shit.  
> They're like, the Coulson of out friend group.

After the talk with Fury, which at some point had devolved into name-calling and an unofficial staring/glaring contest, Clint had shown him to the room he’d be staying in.

Before leaving him for the night, the archer told him that the intercom could summon any of them if he needed anything. (Robin took this to mean ‘don’t leave here without one of us’ and wasn’t really surprised.)   

Robin had then spent a decent amount of time mentally cataloguing the information he’d gathered before moving to his holo-computer and hacking into the AI- Jarvis, he recalled –so he could monitor when he was being observed and what said observers saw.

At some point after he’d settled down and removed his cape and boots, he detected movement outside. A mechanical hiss, footsteps.

Robin sat upright again tilting his head to better hear. A ‘thump’ muffled by both the door and distance.

He slipped out of the bed and padded to the door, using his computer to will it open silently. He crept down the hallway and into the kitchen.

A broad-shouldered man in loose gym clothes was digging through the refrigerator.  His blonde hair was messy, even from behind, and his entire body seemed to sag with fatigue.

Robin remembered that the man went by ‘Captain America’ in costume, and had introduced himself as Steve Rogers in the quinjet.

 _I wonder what he’s doing out this late..._ The acrobat pondered as he hoisted himself onto the edge of the kitchen island.

Suddenly Rogers whipped around, eyes wide. The man blinked at him for a moment, clearly processing.

Robin had to hold in an amused smirk when he saw the figurative ‘click’ in the man’s mind.

“Hello.” His voice wavered, and Robin wanted to laugh.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing up?” Rogers asked.

“What are _you_ doing up?” Robin asked cagily in return, making his face blank. _He probably wants to know why I’m not contained._ The man was military, through and through. His stance, his diction, even his haircut; everything about screamed that he is or was a soldier.

The man gave him a small smile, though, huffing a bit. “Got held up by the tech department back at base. Wanted me to test some things for them.”

Robin was reminded of how Bruce sometimes needed to stay at Wayne Enterprises far longer than normal because R&D had made an advancement and he was needed to sign off on it.

Robin warily kept his eyes on the soldier as he went about preparing his leftovers.

“So what about you? Why are you still awake this late?” Rogers asked him again.

The teen was entirely unsure as to how far he could trust this man. _I’m not telling him the entire truth, that’s for sure. But…_

“Oh, you know-” _I’m just in an unfamiliar place surrounded by people I can’t trust._ “I may-or-may-not be riding a fantastic post-kidnapping adrenalin high. Hypothetically, of course.” He gave a Richard Grayson-Wayne grin. The one he uses to convince reporters he wasn’t dead-tired and ready to kick them all in the face.

“Of course.” Rogers gave a small grin in return, believing him.

There was a semi-comfortable silence in which Robin pretended not to watch the older man trace shapes into the counter with his fingertips until the microwave shrieked, at which point Robin forced himself not to jump.

After the soldier pulled the food from the machine he looked to Robin. “Want some?”

 _Well, it’s not like the guy would poison me…_ “What is it?”

He blinked down at the meal, as if it would tell him what it was. “Uh… Some sort of… noodle food?” Rogers blushed a bit at his lack of awareness. “Bruce made it.”

It took everything Dick had not to whirl around and look for the man at the mention of his ~~father’s~~ guardian’s name, and _logically Rogers is talking about Dr. Banner and more than one person in the world has the name Bruce and I’m being_ incredibly _irrational._

Instead he nodded mutely, reaching out and taking the proffered fork.

Robin watched as Rogers divided the meal, placing half on a plate snatched from a nearby cabinet and sliding it to him.

He tasted the food, and discovered it to be quite good. Not _Alfred_ levels of good, but up there with Aunt Iris.

Rogers seemed satisfied with his upturned lips and proceeded to dig into his portion.

Robin could not help but notice, as the moments dragged on, that the man looked like Wally in a public restaurant.

That is to say; highly uncomfortable and very much wanting to eat faster.

Robin wanted to cackle.

He settled for a smirk and said, “You can, you know.”

Rogers froze, looking at him with a confused expression that was absolutely hilarious coupled with the noodles dangling from his mouth.

“Eat.” Robin said plainly. “Like you normally do?” _Wow either we’re both really tired or he’s in denial._

The man looks like he has absolutely no clue what’s going on.                    

_Oh right, people expect sentences to make sense._

“I’m assuming you have some sort of accelerated metabolism? You’re acting exactly like a friend of mine when we go out to eat in civvies,” he explained when he got the affirmative. “His metabolism is faster than _he_ is, and that’s saying something.” Robin nearly expanded on the joke about Wally, but stopped, covering it up with an awkward laugh.

He pushed the noodles on his plate around for a moment.

“So yeah,” He began again. “Trust me, you can eat as fast as you like. It's not gonna gross me out.” Robin ended the conversation by daintily stuffing noodles into his mouth.

Luckily, after looking at Robin for a moment, Rogers went back to eating.

After a bit, he pushed the remainder of his food back to the soldier.

Robin- Dick, considered himself a decent judge of character.

Nothing about Rogers set him off. In fact, he quite liked him. The man reminded him strongly of Clark, and was obviously a good leader. _Also he offered me food._ Good _food! No matter what Babs may tease, the way to a vigilante’s heart really is through their stomach._

Nevertheless, the Bat in him demanded a level of certainty before truly letting his guard down.

A test was at hand.

_But how?_

Then the Boy Wonder remembered how he’d first ‘tested’ the Leaguers. Nobody would find it hard to believe that a little kid (as much as he hated the title, it often worked in his favor) who ran around with Batman would eventually get tuckered out.

He remembered ‘passing out’ on the couches and chairs around the Watchtower, and making character assessments based on different reactions to finding him.

With a plan in place, Robin let his body sag slowly, making himself look vulnerable and extremely tired. He couldn’t help but notice that this… wasn’t very difficult.

Eventually, “Robin?” The adult asked quietly, hesitantly.

This guy had _no clue_ how to deal with kids. Robin could just _hear it in his voice_.

“Hm?” The teen popped his head up suddenly, after a moment.

“You tired?” The man seemed… charmed, by his actions. _Curious._

He continued the late reactions, waiting a few beats before mumbling “Five all-nighters ‘ll do that to ya” almost drunkenly

Robin saw as the man visibly _recoiled_ , shock clear on his face. _Heh._

“You think you can make it to your bunk?” Rogers inquired softly, getting up and moving closer. His body language read ‘worry’ as his arms hovered nearby.

“Mm- _hmm_!” Robin decided that sticking to the sleep-drunk approach would work best, and gave a tilted smile.

Receiving an affirmative Rogers moved away slowly, trying to guide without touching. “Jarvis, could you lead us to where Robin is staying the night?” He looked up, as everyone seemed to when the AI spoke.

“Of course, Captain.” Robin could swear the voice sounded amused.

The teen smirked a bit before leaned against the wall in an almost boneless manner. By the time the man turned around, he looked like he was passed out. “Okay, kiddo, let’s- go?” The startled pause was amusing.

There was silence as the soldier stared at him, shifting nervously.

“Robin?” He moved a bit closer, hesitantly. “Robin, are you awake?”

Robin covered his amusement with a quiet grumbly-snore.

“Robin?” Rogers said his name again, then stepped forward slowly. The teen felt a hand shake his shoulder carefully. “C’mon, kiddo, let’s go.” He was nudged forward, and decided to let gravity do its work.

The man caught him almost immediately, hands firmly but gently encircling Robin’s upper arms. “Hey, Robin? Since you can’t seem to make it yourself, I’m going to carry you, alright? Robin?” _I was wondering when he’d reach this conclusion._

“Alright, kiddo. I’m gonna pick you up now.” One arm slid neatly behind his knees as the other cupped his shoulders. The soldier went slow, careful. Robin felt his eyes on him, watching… warily?

He was lifted gently, if a bit stilted. It was clear the man wasn’t used to carrying people in this way.

Robin let his head move freely, eventually falling against Roger’s chest. The man had a loud heartbeat.

As they moved, Robin sensed Rogers’ eyes on him, and felt the slight tightening of the arms holding him.

 _Bruce sometimes does that…_ There was a light growl, one that the soldier probably didn’t even know he’d made. _Bruce does that too, when he sees the scars…_

Robin wanted to giggle when the Jarvis informed Steve that he’s walked too far.

He didn’t actually _mind_ being carried by Steve. The man was warm, and he felt kinda like Bruce…

 _Yeah_ , _I am way too tired…_

The door to his quarters slid open automatically, and St- _Rogers,_ walked in.

He set Robin down on the bed, pulling back the covers and then placing them on top of him. The tired acrobat squirmed around until he was comfortable, murmuring nonsense.

Robin sensed the man stay for a moment, hovering, then leave. The door slid shut behind him, the light flicking off on its own.

Robin remained still, breathing evenly and feigning sleep, for several minutes.

Just when he was sure no one was outside, the light turned back on.

“Mr. Robin, I am aware that you are awake.”

Robin bolted upright, eyes wide.

“Jarvis?” He asked hesitantly.

“Yes.”

Robin stared at the ceiling in confusion. _What?_

“I’m afraid that I must ask your intentions, sir.”

“My… intentions.” _What. The. Hell._

“Yes. One of my duties is to protect the inhabitants of this tower and as such I must be sure of your purpose here.”

“My only intention at this point in time is to get home.” He answered diplomatically. And it wasn’t a lie. _I just want to see my family again. I want to make sure they’re okay…_

“I see.” Either he was _way_ too tired or the robot sounded skeptical.

_Lookin’ back that response did sound a bit evasive…_

“I don’t want to try anything, Jarvis” he assured the AI. “I’m not going to hurt anyone here unless they try to hurt me first.”

There was a long, weighted pause as he awaited the voice’s response.

“What was the purpose of your ruse?”

“What, pretending to sleep?” Robin tilted his head to the side.

“Yes.” It (he?) confirmed. “I have a suspicion but I would like a confirmation, if you do not object.”

Robin tilted his head again, considering. “If I answer will you let me sleep?” He gives a sarcastic grin. _Because I really am tired. Jesus. Note to self; actually sleep at some point after missions…_

Jarvis replies with no small amount of exasperation, “Yes.”

“Are you going to tell the Captain my answer?” He asks, taking a serious note.

“Not unless he asks directly.”

Robin nods. _The odds of that are pretty low..._ “It was… a test, I guess.”

“A test.” Jarvis repeats contemplatively. “Of trust, I’m assuming?”

Robin nods, slightly surprised that an AI is advanced enough to deduce something like that. Emotions are hard to program, after all.

“Alright. Good night, Mr. Robin.”

“Just Robin, Jarvis. I’m not a ‘Mr.’ anything.”

“Indeed.”

With that the lights dim slowly into nothing, and Robin lies back down to sleep.

_I can trust Steve, at least…_

_And maybe Jarvis, too. Maybe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!  
> I quite liked this.  
> Feel free to point out anything that doesn't seem right to you, I love feedback.
> 
> Also, I need to get a lot of time passed without much plot in there... so, suggestions? Any scenes you'd like to see?


End file.
